f13.net forums - Review - Walking Dead Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye

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April 16, 2024, 04:00:00 PM

we're back, baby

In the interest of adding some more topics here, I'm going to try to review new comics on a semi-regular basis. Due out Wednesday, I'll be checking out the first issues of Runaways Vol.2 and Livewires among other comics so I'll try to have some reviews for those up by the end of the week. Also note that I'm not above using reviews to do some whoring for F13 if they ever want to link to amazon.com or the like. For now though, I've just reread through 15 issues of The Walking Dead. To avoid getting too much into spoilers though I'll keep this review focused on the first six issues which have been collected in The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye, by Robert Kirkman with art by Tony Moore.

Now I could just keep this review short by saying it's got zombies in it, since that right there will give most people an indication if they'll like it or not. If you're the kind of person who's ever come up with plans for what you'd do if the dead got up and started snacking on people you'll probably give just about anything zombie related at least a glance. It wouldn't be much of a review though if I just left it at that, so let me go into a little bit of detail here.

The story centers on Officer Rick Grimes. Shot in the line of duty, he wakes up out of a coma in a scene similar to 28 Days later, with no idea that zombies are firmly in control of things now. After escaping the undead left in the hospital Rick meets up with a couple survivors who fill him in on the situation. Most people have fled to the big cities where the government has told them it will be easier to protect them. Of course we all know things aren't going to work out like that. Nevertheless, Rick needs to find his wife and son and reasons that they most likely headed to Atlanta, which of course he finds has been overrun by the zombies.

Now that just covers the first issue and a half. While a lot of the plot twists are easy to see coming, I still don't want to give too much away. You know people are going to die, and you know some of the survivors aren't going to handle the situation as well as others. The interest is in seeing how the characters deal with an increasingly bad situation, and in that respect it's kept me entertained enough to pick up the next issue. It's not Watchmen or Preacher. Like a lot of zombie movies many of the characters don't get their personalities fleshed out before they're killed, and it's hard to care. It's also hard to keep track of who the characters are and what their relation to other characters is since a lot of characters are often introduced at once and only a handful of them get any real focus. While it's not high art though (and it's not meant to be), Robert Kirkman does a pretty good job at putting out a good ongoing zombie story.

Tony Moore does a good job with the art. The gore isn't over the top (it helps that the art is in B&W), but there is enough detail to convey a sense of horror. Most of the characters you can tell apart easily (many artists today can only draw a couple faces so this can be a problem sometimes), and Moore is a good visual storyteller. You won't find yourself rereading pages trying to figure out what happened (although you will find yourself taking another look at some of the more shocking pages).

So if you're looking for a fun read rather than some densely-written, Watchmen-type comic book epic, and you want some fucking zombies... go watch Shaun of the Dead first (note even further possible F13 product placement). Then go pick up The Walking Dead. Then watch House of the Dead, because I'm sadistic.

At this point I'd like to remind readers of these boards that I don't fancy myself as a writer or reviewer, I'm just a guy that likes comics, so comments are welcome.

I think you're more than qualified to write reviews. So far I've found your opinions helpful and/or I wouldn't know jack shit without your recommendations in the past.

Keep 'em comin'

Yeah, keep 'em coming.

As for Kirkman, I'll read anything he writes. Invincible is just one of the most refreshing comics put out in years.

I appreciate the support. I'm going to try to review at least 1 tpb and some new comics each week. In particular I'll be checking out the first issues of a lot of the new series that come out. If time permits, I'll try to get to some more tpb reviews though to help get this forum going. In particular I'll be reviewing Runaways soon since as I said, the second volume (or "season" as they're calling it) is coming out tomorrow.

Picked this up and read it (probably due to the strength of reccomendation). It's quite good, though the first 'chapter' is fairly short. Going to pick up the second book tonight. If you like your zombies rotten, this is decent fare.

Edited to Add :

Second book - more of the same. I can't help feeling that this series would make a really good film/serial. Again, for Zombie fans only, really, but an enjoyable read. Also, the afterword by Simon Pegg is a nice touch !

This has been added to my list, since just the other day at work I mentioned to my dad how screwed we'd be if the zombies attacked. He just kind of stared at me all puzzled. Shame really. I kind of liked him.

Quote from: TheWalrus on March 04, 2005, 06:32:40 PM

A bit off topic, but I finally watched the new Dawn of the Dead the other night (I could only hold out for so long). It didn't disappoint at all. In fact (and I hate to say it), some parts were better than the original -- like fast moving zombies.

Holy shit, what a fucking disaster that would be!

At least in the old ones, the humans stood a slight chance, no matter how many came out at 'em.

It's the same in 28 Days Later, although of course they aren't technically fast-moving zombies so much as they're fast-moving rage-infected humans.

Quote from: Stray on March 04, 2005, 06:53:08 PM

At least in the old ones, the humans stood a slight chance, no matter how many came out at 'em.

The new one was about survival. The old one was about consumerism.

Fast moving zombies were in Return of the Living Dead as well, which I highly recommend. If for no other reason than:

"Hit him in the brain! Hit him in the brain!"
"I DID HIT HIM IN THE FUCKING BRAIN!"

Actually it's quite a good movie. But be warned, avoid both sequels at all costs!

The new Dawn of the Dead was not too bad, but it started getting retarded during the "I'll go drive the truck and save the dog" part. Talk about your forced thrills and suspense. For the most part I was pleasantly surprised though.

I haven't seen "Return" since I was a kid. So I don't recall a whole lot. Other than that the zombies could speak ("More Brains!"). Didn't realize they could move fast there either.

I've always been a fan of 45 Grave though (they did "Party Time" for the soundtrack).

Yeah, the "save the dog" bit irritated me too, but I was expecting a whole lot worse going into the Dawn remake (Along the lines of the TCM remake etc.). So, no biggie.

Quote

avoid both sequels at all costs

Which sequels would those be? The "Night of Living Dead" remake? Was there a sequel to "Return" as well?

There were two sequels to Return, and last I heard there are two more currently being worked on unless they've been canceled.

Btw, have you read the Dawn of the Dead comics that came out last year? I was excited about them at first...Until I saw the artwork. Just didn't seem well suited for "horror" to me.

Quote from: Velorath on March 04, 2005, 09:02:36 PM

There were two sequels to Return, and last I heard there are two more currently being worked on unless they've been canceled.

Hmm..I'll take the advice then. Can't say I could get very excited about "Return" sequels. I should rent the old one again though.

What I'm really looking forward to is Land of the Dead. The plot sounds more like sci-fi than horror (or even comedy for that matter), but Romero's return to the genre can never be a bad thing.

I think the zomies in RotLD could run, I might be misremembering though.

The sequels were just called Return of the Living Dead 2 and 3. 2 was more campy and cheesy than 1 (which had a fair amount of humor to begin with) and was just awash in lame 80s ness. 3 was jsut terrible, with an awful Romeo and Juliet-zombie angst ridden plot, terrible acting and effects.

I do think they are working on 4, god knows why.

For those interested, "Walking Dead Vol.3: Safety Behind Bars" is available (only $8.42 at DCBService). Also for fans of Kirkman's Invincible, the title character will be crossing-over into the MU in an issue of Kirkman's Marvel Team-up.